ALIF AILAAN UPDATE April 2015 April at Alif Ailaan

• Reclaiming Dignity: The State of Teacher's Unions and their Future • Ensuring success of provincial enrolment campaigns • Highlighting ’s enrolment initiatives • Leading through teaching in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa • Campaigning for education in Azad Jammu and Kashmir • Engaging with parents and teachers • Encouraging reform through storytelling • Steering the focus towards education budget • Supporting local and international education initiatives • Alif Ailaan in the media RECLAIMING DIGNITY Releasing our report on Teachers’ Unions across

On April 28, we launched Reclaiming Dignity: The State of Teacher's Unions and their Future, which is Pakistan's first comprehensive report on government school-teachers' unions and associations. The report illustrated opportunities and challenges faced by the Teachers’ Unions and offered recommendations to Government, Teachers’ Unions and Researchers. The event was attended by over a 100 participants which included leaders of 17 unions, members of print & electronic media, politicians, and members of civil society. Politicians who were in attendance as well as audience members shared their views after the presentation.

Clockwise from left: Senator Shibli Faraz, participants at the launch event, Shaista Pervaiz Malik - Senior journalist, MNA and the General Secretary for Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and Senior anchor Talat Hussain RECLAIMING DIGNITY – IN THE MEDIA

Highlights:

• Alif Ailaan Releases “Reclaiming Dignity: The State of Teachers' Unions and Their Future” a pioneering report on School Teachers Unions and associations across Pakistan – Nawa-e- Waqt (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/m7lWaj • Alif Ailaan Published a report on School Teachers’ Unions and associations across Pakistan named as “Reclaiming Dignity: The State of Teachers' Unions and Their Future”– Daily Express (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/neP9na • “Teachers Unions should be part of Education Policy”. Research Report on School Teachers’ Unions Published by Alif Ailaan”– Daily Dunya (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/BKOUyP • Sindh must increase education budget by 40%. – Express Tribune (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/mJvgI4 • Government, asked Teachers’ Unions to work for Education reforms. – Dawn Newspaper (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/XflHDy • Teachers’ role in education reforms stressed. – The Nation (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/eNIHsm • Teachers' unions kept away from reform process – Business Recorder (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/ZohdND • Teachers largely excluded from reform discourse – The News (30 Apr) http://goo.gl/ijj3Fc ENROLMENT 2015 Enrolling for the new academic year

We collaborated with education departments of Provinces to organise walks and seminars supporting the provincial enrolment drives in different parts of the and Mastung cities. The activities successfully spread awareness among masses about the on-going enrolment drive launched by the education department.

Walk in Hazara Town, Enrolment seminar with Community session with Walk in Panjpai area of Quetta teachers, Quetta parents district Mastung Quetta Ghar Aya Ustad: We were requested by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to play an active role in their enrolment drive this year. On April 7 we helped organise the launch ceremony of this drive in Peshawar. This widely successful event was attended by over 200 hundred teachers and chaired by the Minister for Education as well as the Chief Minister of the province.

Peshawar Kohistan Swat ENROLMENT 2015

In Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir we organised enrolment camps and street art activities to drive higher enrolment especially amongst out-of-school children.

Our education activist in set up an mobile enrolment booth to register children in the district

An out of school child over looks the street art activity in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir GHAR AYA USTAD – IN THE MEDIA

• Efforts on to bring about ‘change’: CM – The News, 8 April, 2015 http://goo.gl/tlmOjC • “Ghar Aya Ustad” campaign inaugurated, 8 Lakh children admission target – Daily Mashriq, 8 April 2015 http://goo.gl/YQ1wQc • CM launches special school enrolment campaign - Dawn, 9 April 2015 http://goo.gl/UejMZ1 • Student enrolment drive kicks off - , 9 April 2015 http://goo.gl/2ZJv7G • Ghar aya Ustaad dakhla muhim - BBC , 9 April 2015 http://goo.gl/2FXE1N • One for all: Chief Minister promises uniform curriculum at schools - Express Tribune, 9 April 2015 http://goo.gl/05fBAJ MEDIA SUPPORT Highlighting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s enrolment

initiatives Other highlights: • School enrolment drive begins today, - Dawn (1 Apr) ttp://goo.gl/u8STL0 We strengthened this years • Alif Ailaan is playing an important role in eradicating the education emergency: Fazal Ilahi – Daily Aaj, discourse around education Daily Akhbar, Daily Dunya, Daily Ittehad , Daily Nawa-e- Waqt , Daily Sarhad (1 Apr) through coverage of all • An important education forum through Walidan ki Awaz – Daily Nai Baat (1 Apr) http://goo.gl/no0HBS enrolment activities across the • Provision of facilities is being ensured in government schools – (1 Apr) province. http://goo.gl/Rlh5pL • Schools teachers recruited based on NTS test – Daily Khabrain (1 Apr) http://goo.gl/ERi3im • Govt spending Rsl.8bn on education reforms –Daily Dawn (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/OKKlSb Coverage for a poetry reading • Education vacuum: ‘35% children do not attend school in Haripur, Express Tribune (2 Apr) session organised in Swat to http://goo.gl/hhOzLK highlight the importance of • Education Drive: 0.8 million children to be enrolled in govt. run schools – Express Tribune (5 Apr) enrolment and education http://goo.gl/KLYjZo • CM promises uniform cirrculum at schools – Express Tribune (9 Apr) http://goo.gl/xz4G3g Print: • Parliamentarians can improve education delivery via story telling sessions – Akhbar e Khyber (9 Apr) • Festival held on “Reimagining the • Seeking an education in the shadow of fear – BBC Urdu (9 Apr) http://goo.gl/tYmYUj value of Education in Literature” - • Govt asked to construct buildings for schools in Swat – TNN Radio (13 Apr) http://goo.gl/IB91ee Morning Post (29 Mar) • In shambles: Over 100 years old, school in Shabqadar wears its age on its face – Express Tribune http://goo.gl/CEPbpp (14 Apr) http://goo.gl/S5n1W0 • Signs of progress: Pushto culture, • Not so universal: 41% of out of school children cannot afford education - Express Tribune (24 Apr) literature celebrated in Amankot – http://goo.gl/BimDkK Express Tribune (29 Mar) http://goo.gl/BikOOb Electronic: • Seminar held on Pushto literature • Express News, 13 April 2015 http://goo.gl/TXJpNJ in Swat - Radio TNN (30 Mar) • News One 15 April 2015 http://goo.gl/hRI20B http://goo.gl/sCn0sZ • Geo News, 16 April 2015 http://goo.gl/Qv3m1b • Samaa News, 18 April 2015 http://goo.gl/f2NUzZ Electronic: • Khyber News, 21 April 2015 http://goo.gl/AzPtbV • Khyber News (1 Apr) • Roz News, 24 April 2015 http://goo.gl/m2B4QI http://goo.gl/j2vNyj LEADING THROUGH TEACHING Storytelling workshop for the politicians of Khyber Pakhtukhwa

On April 7, Alif Ailaan arranged a storytelling session for MPAs at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The workshop was attended by ten MPAs including the Speaker of the Assembly, , and the parliamentary leader of ANP, Sardar Hussain Babak. The parliamentarians represented PTI, PML-N, JUI-F, QWP and ANP.

Top: MPA Uzma Khan (Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam) from district Dir practising storytelling in front of her colleagues Left: Musharraf Ali Farooqui (KITAB) leading the workshop for participants ON THE GROUND Campaigning for education in Azad Jammu and Kashmir Alif Ailaan education activists rallied the voters of Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir to vote for education during the latest by-election. Our team held one-on-one meetings with the bureaucracy, politicians and influencers of district Mirpur while posting flyers and billboards to spread awareness among the voters.

L to R: Barrister Sultan Mehmood, Pir Attiq Ur Rehman and Secretary Education Raja Abbas

Left: Children do not vote. Provision of quality education for them is your responsibility

Right: Is education a top priority for you political candidate? ON THE GROUND Engaging parents and teachers

Walidan ki Awaaz : Community Sessions to engage and empower parents across Pakistan

Haripur, KPK Okara, Punjab Mastung, Balochistan Matiari, Sindh Muzaffarabad, AJK

Learning Forums: Promoting Peer-to-Peer learning among teachers

Jafferabad, Balochistan , Punjab Jafferabad, Balochistan BUDGET 2015 Steering the focus towards education. budget The Alif Ailaan team is committed to making education a top priority for this years budget. This month we rallied support with influential politicians on the ground to generate demand for an effective education budget. Our partner Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (I-SAPS) organised a pre-budget discussion forum in on Our political advocacy April 28. team met with the Ahmad Ali from I-SAPS (left) and Khursheed Junejo MPA Minister of State for and Chairperson of Standing Committee on Education, Sindh Federal Education, (right) chaired the forum attended by politicians, members of Muhammad Baligh Ur the civil society, and the print media. Rehman (top). During the meeting we laid the foundation for a strong lobby to push for an increase in public financing for education. We also met Sikander Hayat Sherpao of QWP (left) and Sardar Hussain A third cycle of roundtable workshops on budget were Babak of ANP (right) to organised by our partner, GINI, in Gujranwala (left) and raise the issue of Narowal (right) on April 21 and 22. Governance Institutes education in their parties Network International (GINI) in partnership with Alif Ailaan are as well as the Khyber developing education governance empirics that explore Pakhtunkhwa Provincial correlation between education outcomes and utilisation of Assembly. education development budget along with other variables. SUPPORTING EDUCATION INITIATIVES

Link to report: We helped the Ministry of Education http://en.unesco.org/gem- launch ‘Pakistan Education Statistics report/report/2015/education-all- 2013-14’ on 21 April. 2000-2015-achievements-and- The event was presided by Minister challenges#sthash.g9zqgi6W.dpbs of State for Federal Education, Baligh Ur Rehman.

We joined hands with UNESCO to launch the Global Monitoring Report 2015 in Pakistan on 22 April

We provided data for a report on teacher • Education budget to be enhanced soon upto 4 absenteeism in Pakistan pc of GDP: State Minister for Education, Baligh Published in The Nation on 6 April ur Rehman. – Associated Press of Pakistan, http://nation.com.pk/islamabad/05-Apr- Daily Times, Pakistan Observer (21 Apr) 2015/teachers-absenteeism-taking-toll-on-students- http://goo.gl/HMT58k learning • New report reveals one-tenth of all children enrolled in madressahs. – Dawn, (22 Apr) http://goo.gl/tH5lzX • Primary Education: In Pakistan 6.2m Children still out of schools, says report. – Express Tribune, (22 Apr) http://goo.gl/zwVbtx • Literacy Rate is increased above 60% all over the country. Baligh-ur-Rehman. – Daily Dunya, (22 Apr) http://goo.gl/MQF93D • 6.2m children still out of school. – The Nation, (22 Apr) http://goo.gl/HglgTe • Better Quality of education is our vision. National Education Assessment Report will be released soon: Baligh. – Daily Express, (22 Apr) http://goo.gl/mBqhGf Link to report: http://www.aepam.edu.pk/Files/EducationStatistics/PakistanEducationStatistics2013-14.pdf IN THE MEDIA Media highlights:

• Celebration of education begins – Daily Ausaf (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/GR2EzT • Private schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to be regulated: Secretary Education – Daily Siyasat (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/3s3Bby • Some points by the Secretary Education - Daily Siyasat (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/3LBIfL • Teachers incentives and promotions to be linked to learning outcomes – Daily Khabarnama (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/aTIIxp • BA and BEd has been instituted as a requirement for primary school teachers – Daily Mahasib (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/MZYdMt • 277 new schools to be constructed, Rs. 5 billion approved – Jammu and Kashmir Times (2 Apr) Enrolment campaign begins – Do Meel (2 Apr) http://goo.gl/1ymQXB • 54.4% children are out of school in district Rahim Yar Khan – Daily Express (7 Apr) http://goo.gl/VdKu6f • Teachers’ absenteeism taking toll on students’ learning – The Nation (7 Apr) http://goo.gl/907WDb • 400 school buildings grabbed, made dens – The Nation (25 Apr) http://goo.gl/f6Z0uP • Money matters:Sindh must increase edu budget by 40% – Express Tribune (28 Apr) http://goo.gl/o1OFIs • 5 billion needed to clear just one-fourth backlog of missing facilities – The News (29 Apr) http://goo.gl/GHH3vy SUMMARY

April 30, 2015 Total supporters 1,707,222 FB likes 1,399,653 Website hits (unique visits) 129,521 Twitter followers 10,797 Declarations signed 36,700 SMS group members 130,551 Political Engagement 18,227 Alif Ailaan Political Advocacy 999 Alif Ailaan Education Activist 576 RSPN 1,477 GINI 3 I-SAPS 10 LEAD Pakistan 2,503 PIPS 89 Community and Parent Engagement 130 Alif Ailaan Education Activists 689,608 SCF 167,555 RSPN 1,877 ITA 491,632 LEAD Pakistan 300 Education Providers (Teachers, Administrators, Managers) 6,781 Alif Ailaan Political Advocacy 21,463 Alif Ailaan Civil Society 19,590 RSPN 646 GINI 16,992 LEAD Pakistan 169 SAHE 52 Meeting with SMCs (RSPN + LEAD Pakistan) 30 Emails sent from Alif Ailaan map 401 Pakistan Data Portal (visits) 1,300 1,707,222 supporters

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